So I just got pinged with an e-mail about some upcoming Red Hot Chili Peppers concert dates... and there were two ways to get first dibs on tickets: Buy the album on iTunes or join the fan club. Well, I didn't know there was a fan club, but since I'm a fan, I'm happy to join.

But, they want to charge me $30.

Pay to be a fan??

You should be given access to the fan club or exclusive presales based on your support of the group. Shelling out money for concerts should get you fan points, but you shouldn't allow people to pay their way to the front of the crowd w/o actually buying anything.